Indian football clubs in Asian competitions explained

Indian football clubs have entered Asian football competitions (AFC Champions League and AFC Cup) since the 1900s.^[1] The Asian Champion Club Tournament started in 1967, but there was no Indian representative during that inaugural season. Indian teams have participated every year in Asia, except for the early years between the 1990s and early 2000s.^[2]

Slots for AFC competitions

Competition	Slots	Teams
Men's
AFC Champions League Two Group Stage	Indian Super League Champion	1
AFC Champions League Two Qualifier	Super Cup champion	1
Women's
AFC Women's Champions League Qualifier	Indian Women's League Champion	1

AFC competitions record

AFC Champions League/Asian Club Championship/Asian Champion Club Tournament

Year	Team	Progress	Score	Opponents	Venue(s)
Asian Champion Club Tournament 1
1967	None Entered
1969	Mysore State	Fourth Place	0–2		at Bangkok, Thailand
1970	Bengal	3rd in Group Stage	N/A	Hapoel Tel Aviv, PSMS Medan, Royal Thai Police
1971	Punjab Police	4th in Group Stage	N/A	Maccabi Tel Aviv, Aliyat Al-Shorta, Bangkok Bank
1972–85	The tournament was not held
Asian Club Championship 2
1985	East Bengal	3rd in Group Semi's	N/A	Al-Ahli, Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian
1986	None Entered
1987		2nd in Group Stage	N/A	Al-Rasheed, Mohammedan SC, Manang Marsyangdi, PAF FC
1988–89		4th in Group Semi's	N/A	Al-Rasheed, Guangdong Wanbao, Kazma
1989–90	Salgaocar	2nd in Group Stage	N/A	Fanja, Punjab, Kathmandu
1990–91	Salgaocar	2nd in Group Stage	N/A	Mohammedan, Club Lagoons
1991	None Entered
1992–93	None Entered
1993–94	None Entered
1994–95		2nd Round	0–7	Thai Farmers Bank	0–4 in Thailand 0–3 due to Mohun Bagan being disqualified
1995		1st Round	2–2	Club Valencia	2–1 in First Match 0–1 in Second Match
1996–97	JCT	2nd Round	1–2	New Radiant	1–0 in First Match 0–2 in Second Match
1997–98	Churchill Brothers	1st Round	1–2	Cao su Đồng Tháp	0–1 in First Match 1–1 in Second Match
1998–99	East Bengal	1st Round	0–6	Dalian Wanda	0–6 in First Match 0–0 in Second Match
1999–2000		2nd Round	0–8	Júbilo Iwata	at Yamaha Stadium
2000–01	None Entered
2001–02	None Entered
AFC Champions League
2002–03	Churchill Brothers	Qualifying Round 3	4–7	Osotsapa FC	1–1 Home 3–6 Away
	Mohun Bagan	Qualifying Round 3	1–8	Daejeon Citizen	6–0 Away 1–2 Home
2004	None Entered
2005	None Entered
2006	None Entered
2007	None Entered
2008	None Entered
2009	Dempo	Play-off round	0–3	Sharjah	at Sharjah Stadium
2010	Churchill Brothers	Qualifying play-off	2–5	Al-Wahda	at Al-Nahyan Stadium
2011	Dempo	Qualifying play-off	0–2	Al-Sadd	at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
2012	None Entered
2013	None Entered
2014	Pune	Qualifying play-off Round 1	0–3	Hà Nội T&T	Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune, India
2015	Bengaluru FC	Preliminary Round 1	1–2	Johor Darul Ta'zim	Larkin Stadium, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
2016	Mohun Bagan	Preliminary Round 2	0–6	Shandong Luneng Taishan	Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Jinan
2017	Bengaluru FC	Preliminary Round 2	1–2	Al-Wehdat	King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman
2018	Aizawl FC	Play-off round	1–3	Zob Ahan	Foolad Shahr Stadium, Isfahan
2019	Minerva Punjab	Preliminary Round 2	0–4	Saipa	Shahr-e Qods Stadium, Qods
2020	Chennai City	Preliminary Round 1	0–1	Al-Riffa	The Arena, Ahmedabad, India
2021	FC Goa	3rd in Group Stage	N/A	Persepolis Al-Rayyan Al-Wahda	Fatorda Stadium, Goa, India
2022	Mumbai City FC	2nd in Group Stage	N/A	Al Shabab FC Al Jazira FC Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
2023-24	Mumbai City FC	4th in Group Stage	N/A	Al Hilal SFC Navbahor Nassaji Mazandaran	Various

¹ Santhosh Trophy winners entered tournament .
² Federation Cup winners entered tournament.

AFC Women's Club Championship/AFC Women's Champions League

Year	Team	Progress	Score	Opponents	Venue(s)
AFC Women's Club Championship1
2019	None Entered
2021	Gokulam Kerala2	Third place	N/A	Amman Shahrdari Sirjan Bunyodkor	Aqaba Development Corporate Stadium, Amman
2022	None Entered
2023–24	Gokulam Kerala	2nd in Group Stage	N/A	Urawa Red Diamonds Hualien Bangkok	Chonburi Stadium, Chonburi
AFC Women's Champions League
2024–25	Odisha	4th in Group Stage	N/A	Taichung Blue Whale Urawa Red Diamonds Hồ Chí Minh City	Thống Nhất Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City

² As the 2020–21 Indian Women's League season is cancelled, so Gokulam Kerala, the 2019–20 Indian Women's League season champions qualified for the event.

Asian Cup Winners' Cup

Year	Team	Progress	Score	Opponents	Venue(s)
1990–91	Mohun Bagan	First Round	0–5 (agg.)	Dalian
1991–92	East Bengal	Quarterfinals	1–7 (agg.)	Nissan
1992–93	Mohammedan	First Round	walkover1	Fanja
1993–94	East Bengal	Second Round	1–5 (agg.)	South China
1994–95	East Bengal	First Round	walkover2	Telephone Org. Thailand
1995	East Bengal	Second Round	2–3 (agg.)	New Radiant
1996–97	None Entered
1997–98	East Bengal	Second Round	3–5 (agg.)	Verdy Kawasaki
1998–99	Salgaocar	First Round	1–4 (agg.)	Beijing Guoan
1999–2000	None Entered
2000–01
2001–02

¹ Mohammedan SC withdrew.
² East Bengal withdrew after first leg.

AFC Cup/AFC Champions League Two

Year	Team	Progress	Score	Opponents	Venue(s)
AFC Cup1
2004	Mahindra United	3rd in Group Stage	N/A	Al-Wahda, Dhofar
	East Bengal	Quarter finals	0–3	Al-Jaish	0–0 at Salt Lake Stadium 0–3 at King Abdullah Stadium
2005	Dempo	3rd in Group Stage	N/A	Al-Hussein, Al Ahed
	East Bengal	3rd in Group Stage	N/A	Al-Faisaly, Nebitçi Balkanabat, Muktijoddha Sangsad KS
2006	Dempo	2nd in Group Stage	N/A	Al-Nasr, Merv Mary
	Mahindra United	3rd in Group Stage	N/A	Al-Muharraq, Al Ahed, Brothers Union
2007	Mohun Bagan	2nd in Group Stage	N/A	Tampines Rovers, Osotspa, Pahang FA
	Mahindra United	Quarter-Final	4–5	Al-Nejmeh	1–2 at Fatorda Stadium 3–3 at Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium
2008	East Bengal	3rd in Group Stage	N/A	Safa, Al-Wehdat, Al-Ahli Club Sana'a
	Dempo	Semi-Final	1–5	Safa	0–1 at Sports City Stadium 1–4 at Gachibowli Athletic Stadium
2009	Mohun Bagan	4th in Group Stage	N/A	Al-Kuwait, Al-Karamah, Al-Wehdat
	Dempo	Round of 16	1–3	Al-Kuwait	at Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium
2010	East Bengal	4th in Group Stage	N/A	Al-Qadsia, Al-Ittihad, Al-Nejmeh
	Churchill Brothers	Round of 16	1–2	Al-Qadsia	at Mohammed Al-Hamad Stadium
2011	East Bengal	4th in Group Stage	N/A	Chonburi, Persipura Jayapura, South China AA
	Dempo	Round of 16	0–1	Duhok	at Duhok Stadium
2012	East Bengal	4th in Group Stage	N/A	Arbil, Kazma, Al-Oruba
	Salgaocar	4th in Group Stage	N/A	Al-Wehdat, Neftchi Farg'ona, Al-Oruba
2013	East Bengal	Semi-Final	2–7	Al-Kuwait	2–4 in first match 0–3 in second match
	Churchill Brothers	3rd in Group Stage	N/A	Kitchee, Semen Padang, Warriors
2014	Churchill Brothers	Round of 16	2–4	Vissai Ninh Bình
	Pune	4th in Group Stage	N/A	Kitchee, Nay Pyi Taw, Tampines Rovers
2015	Bengaluru	Round of 16	0–2	South China	Mong Kok Stadium
	East Bengal	3rd in Group Stage	N/A	Johor Darul Ta'zim, Kitchee, Balestier Khalsa
2016	Mohun Bagan	Round of 16	1–2	Tampines Rovers	Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium
	Bengaluru	Runners-Up	0–1	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium
2017	Bengaluru	Inter-zone play-off final	2–3	Istiklol	0–1 at Central Stadium 2–2 at Sree Kanteerava Stadium
	Mohun Bagan	3rd in Group stage	N/A	Bengaluru FC, Dhaka Abahani, Maziya S&RC
2018	Aizawl	4th in Group stage	N/A	Bengaluru FC, Dhaka Abahani, New Radiant
	Bengaluru	Inter-zone play-off semi-final	2–5		2–3 at Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore 0–2 at Köpetdag Stadium, Ashgabat
2019	Minerva Punjab	3rd in Group stage	N/A	Chennaiyin, Dhaka Abahani, Manang Marshyangdi Club
	Chennaiyin	2nd in Group stage	N/A	Minerva Punjab, Dhaka Abahani, Manang Marshyangdi Club
2020	Chennai City	Group Stage	Cancelled	Bashundhara Kings, Maziya, T.C. Sports Club	Cancelled
	Bengaluru	Play-off	4–4 (3–4 p)	Mazia	2–1 at National Football Stadium, Malé3–2 at Sree Kanteerava Stadium, BengaluruPenalties 3–4
2021	Mohun Bagan SG	Inter-zone play-off semi-final	0–6	Nasaf	Markaziy Stadium, Qarshi
	Bengaluru	3rd in Group Stage	N/A	Mohun Bagan SG Bashundhara Kings Maziya
2022	Gokulam Kerala	Group Stage	N/A	Bashundhara Kings Maziya Mohun Bagan SG	Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata, India
	Mohun Bagan SG	Inter-zone play-off semi-final	1–3	Kuala Lumpur City	Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata, India
2023–24	Odisha	Inter-zone play-off semi-final	0–4	Central Coast Mariners	0–4 at Central Coast Stadium, Gosford 0–0 at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, India
	Mohun Bagan SG	3rd in Group stage	N/A	Bashundhara Kings Maziya Odisha	Various
AFC Champions League Two
2024–25	Mohun Bagan SG	N/A in Group stage	N/A	Ravshan Kulob Al-Wakrah Tractor	Various and Mohun Bagan being disqualified
	East Bengal	Qualifying playoff	2-3		2-3 at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata, India

AFC President's Cup/AFC Challenge League

Year	Team	Progress	Score	Opponents	Venue(s)
AFC President's Cup1
2005	None Entered
2006	None Entered
2007	None Entered
2008	None Entered
2009	None Entered
2010	None Entered
2011	None Entered
2012	None Entered
2013	None Entered
2014	None Entered
AFC Challenge League
2024–25	East Bengal	Quarterfinals		Arkadag

Other Asian competitions record

Invitational competitions won by Indian clubs/teams

Clubs/teams	Tournaments	Confederation	Countries	Years	Notes
scope=row style=text-align:left	Indian Army FC	Tribhuvan Challenge Shield	AFC		1955, 1956	[3]
scope=row style=text-align:left	Mohammedan SC	Aga Khan Gold Cup	AFC		1960	[4]
scope=row style=text-align:left	Birpur XI	Tribhuvan Challenge Shield	AFC		1967
scope=row style=text-align:left	Brothers Club Kerala	Tribhuvan Challenge Shield	AFC		1969
scope=row style=text-align:left	Bangalore XI	Tribhuvan Challenge Shield	AFC		1982
scope=row style=text-align:left	Punjab Electricity Board	Tribhuvan Challenge Shield	AFC		1984
scope=row style=text-align:left	Darjeeling United	Birthday Cup	AFC		1985
scope=row style=text-align:left	East Bengal	Coca-Cola Cup (Central Asia)	AFC		1985	[5]
scope=row style=text-align:left	East Bengal	Wai Wai Cup	AFC		1993	[6]
scope=row style=text-align:left	Kerala SC	POMIS Cup	AFC		1993	[7]
scope=row style=text-align:left	Belgeria SC	Budha Subba Gold Cup	AFC		1999
scope=row style=text-align:left	East Bengal	ASEAN Club Championship	AFC		2003	[8]
scope=row style=text-align:left	Mahindra United	POMIS Cup	AFC		2003	[9]
scope=row style=text-align:left	East Bengal	San Miguel International Cup	AFC		2004	[10]

Statistics

Head to head

Head-to-head records against clubs form 35 nations whom they have played to date only in AFC Competitions.

Against	Region								%Win
	AFF
	SAFF
	WAFF
	SAFF
	EAFF
	EAFF
	AFF
	CAFA
	WAFF
	WAFF
	EAFF
	WAFF
	WAFF
	AFF
	WAFF
	AFF
	SAFF
	AFF
	SAFF
	WAFF
	EAFF
	SAFF
	AFF
	WAFF
	WAFF
	AFF
	WAFF
	EAFF
	SAFF
	CAFA
	AFF
	CAFA
	WAFF
	CAFA
	AFF
	WAFF
Total	35 nations

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• Last Updated on 14 March 2024.

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Top scorers

Pos	Player	Team	ACL2/AC	ACL/ACC	ACWC	Total
1	Ranti Martins	Dempo East Bengal	22 [11] [12] [13]	—	—	22
2	Sunil Chhetri	Churchill Brothers Bengaluru FC	18[14] [15]	1	—	19
3	Bhaichung Bhutia	East Bengal JCT Mohun Bagan	4 [16] [17] [18]	2	8	14
4	Sisir Ghosh	Mohun Bagan	—	11	2	13
	Jeje Lalpekhlua	Mohun Bagan	12[19]	1	—	13
6	Beto	Dempo	12	—	—	12
7	Chidi Edeh	Dempo East Bengal	9 [20]	—	—	9
8	Debasish Roy	East Bengal	—	8	—	8
9	Carlton Chapman	East Bengal JCT	—	1	5	6
	Cristiano Junior	East Bengal	6	—	—	6
	Sony Norde		6[21]	—	—	6
	Yusif Yakubu	Mahindra United East Bengal	6	—	—	6

See also

• AFC Champions League
• AFC Cup
• Indian Super League
• I-League
• Indian football league system
• Australian clubs in the AFC Champions League
• Bangladeshi football clubs in the Asian Club Championship
• Bangladeshi clubs in the AFC Cup
• Chinese clubs in the AFC Champions League
• Indonesian football clubs in Asian competitions
• Iranian clubs in the AFC Champions League
• Iraqi clubs in the AFC Champions League
• Japanese clubs in the AFC Champions League
• Myanmar clubs in the AFC Champions League
• Qatari clubs in the AFC Champions League
• Saudi Arabian clubs in the AFC Champions League
• South Korean clubs in the AFC Champions League
• Thai clubs in the AFC Champions League
• Vietnamese clubs in the AFC Champions League

Further reading

• Web site: The Last Goal – Remembering Cristiano Junior. https://web.archive.org/web/20211023012035/https://www.the-aiff.com/article/indian-clubs-in-asia-the-historic-runs-that-inspired-us-all. Soumo. Ghosh. the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 22 September 2021. 15 February 2023. 23 October 2021. New Delhi.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Arunava. Chaudhuri. Indian Clubs in the Asian Cup Winners Cup. https://web.archive.org/web/20201022024207/http://www.indianfootball.de/data/asiancupwinnerscup.html. 22 October 2020. indianfootball.de. 3 July 2021.
2. Web site: Mukherjee, Soham; Easwar, Nisanth V. How have Indian clubs fared in AFC Champions League and AFC Cup?. 1 April 2020. 23 March 2021. goal.com. Goal. 15 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210415045019/https://www.goal.com/en-in/news/india-clubs-in-afc-champions-league-afc-cup/3dj1qowtkdxc1pzji71c49vnz.
3. Web site: Nepal — List of Champions and Cup Winners: Tribhuvan Challenge Shield – Other Cup Tournaments. RSSSF. Atsushi Fujioka . Biplav Guatam . Malik Riaz Hai Naveed . 1996. 6 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712145240/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nepalchamp.html. 12 July 2022. live.
4. Web site: Tom Lewis . Neil Morrison . Novan Herfiyana . Karel Stokkermans . Aga Khan Gold Cup (Dhaka, Bangladesh): Aga Khan Gold Cup 1960. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140726210207/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/agakhan.html. 26 July 2014. 2003. 4 February 2021. RSSSF.
5. Web site: Sabyasachi. Chakraborty. 29 May 2020. THROWBACK: When East Bengal FC became the Champions of Central Asia!. BADGEB. 30 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20201023055529/https://www.badgeb.com/throwback-when-east-bengal-fc-became-the-champions-of-central-asia/. 23 October 2020.
6. Web site: The World Sports Today. 1 August 2020. 100 years of East Bengal: A timeline of Kolkata giant's key milestones. The World Sports Today. 29 June 2021. 27 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210627161358/https://theworldsportstoday.com/100-years-of-east-bengal-a-timeline-of-kolkata-giants-key-milestones/. live.
7. Web site: Maldives - List of Cup Winners: POMIS Cup (President of Maldives Invitational Soccer Cup). https://web.archive.org/web/20180625104120/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesm/maledcuphist.html. 25 June 2018. RSSSF. 1997. 1 March 2021. Hoodh Ali . Mikael Jönsson . Hans Schöggl .
8. Web site: Nicolai. Nayak. Making a mark in Asia: East Bengal's 2003 Asean Cup win – a defining moment for Indian club football. www.scroll.in. Scroll. 26 July 2020. 25 September 2021. 27 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211127192359/https://amp.scroll.in/field/968097/making-a-mark-in-asia-east-bengals-2003-asean-cup-win-a-defining-moment-for-indian-club-football. live.
9. News: Mohamed. Shahyb. 21 September 2003. Local teams struggle while foreign teams confirm participation in POMIS Cup. haveeru.com. Haveeru Daily. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231813/http://www.haveeru.com.mv/sports/2196. 3 March 2016.
10. Web site: East Bengal win Nepal tournament. Football Asia. 3 January 2005. 12 January 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050112011011/http://www.footballasia.com/en/regional/Central/index.asp?id=37988&mth=1&yr=2005&cc=NEP. 22 May 2020.
11. Web site: Afc Cup 2006. RSSSF. 8 November 2016. 14 May 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110514032534/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/ascup06.html#afc. live.
12. Web site: Afc Cup 2008. RSSSF. 8 November 2016. 23 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171023045004/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/ascup08.html#afc. live.
13. Web site: Ranti Martins Profile. Soccerway.com. 21 February 2018. 3 July 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170703053807/http://int.soccerway.com/players/ranty-martins-soleye/66049/. live.
14. Web site: Sunil Chhetri Profile. Soccerway.com. 21 February 2018. 10 September 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130910121819/http://int.soccerway.com/players/sunil-chhetri/64395/. live.
15. Web site: Sunil Chhetri named among 13 strikers to choose all-time best three in AFC Cup. 28 March 2021. The Times of India. 4 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210704180728/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/sunil-chhetri-named-among-13-strikers-to-choose-all-time-best-three-in-afc-cup/articleshow/81723770.cms. live.
16. Web site: Afc Cup 2004. RSSSF. 8 November 2016. 25 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171225122521/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/ascup04.html#afc. live.
17. Web site: Afc Cup 2005. RSSSF. 8 November 2016. 7 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121007202356/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/ascup05.html#afc. live.
18. Web site: Afc Cup 2007. RSSSF. 8 November 2016. 22 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171222152134/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/ascup07.html#afc. live.
19. Web site: Jeje Lalpekhlua Profile. Soccerway.com. 21 February 2018. 18 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171218092532/http://int.soccerway.com/players/jeje-lalpekhlua/100674/. live.
20. Web site: Chidi Edeh Profile. Soccerway.com. 21 February 2018. 3 July 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170703052739/http://int.soccerway.com/players/chidi--edeh-/67778/. live.
21. Web site: Sony Norde Profile. Soccerway.com. 21 February 2018. 20 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211120174754/https://int.soccerway.com/players/sony-norde/128626/. live.